Pawar back at MCA, set for 2nd innings as president

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar was declared elected unopposed as new president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), it was announced on Thursday by the election officer in Mumbai ahead of Friday's biennial polls.

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar was declared elected unopposed as new president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), it was announced on Thursday by the election officer in Mumbai ahead of Friday's biennial polls.

"Mr Sharad Pawar has been declared elected unopposed as president of the Mumbai Cricket Association by election officer SM Gorwadkar as there is no other candidate to oppose him," MCA sources said.

"Mr Gopinath Munde (the BJP leader whose plea to contest the polls was rejected) has so far not approached the court (against the decision)," the sources added.

Munde, whose application to contest the polls was rejected last Saturday by the election officer on the ground of his residential status, had appealed against the verdict but it too was rejected, paving the way for the NCP chief to get elected unopposed.

This is Pawar's second innings as president of MCA.

The Maratha strongman had headed the association for a decade, from 2001-2011, before making way for then Maharashtra chief minister and Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh, who passed away in August last year. He was succeeded by Ravi Savant.

Pawar, who has headed BCCI and also ICC in the past, is backed by all three groups contesting the biennial elections, which have seen intense lobbying for the other posts in the Managing Committee.